{"id":1401,"date":"2026-04-20T12:48:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T12:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/?p=1401"},"modified":"2026-04-20T12:48:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T12:48:36","slug":"producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Producing Historical Impact and Engagement: Case Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a recent workshop from <\/strong>Heritage@Exeter<\/strong><\/a>, Dr Chris Kempshall, author and public historian, shared his insights into bringing history out of academia and into the public eye \u2013 whether that includes engagement with the media, or working directly with the general public.<\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

History\u00a0has importance far beyond the academic setting.\u00a0Many\u00a0people use local libraries or online archives to search for details of their family\u00a0history, or\u00a0enjoy\u00a0period dramas on the big screen. However, looking to engage the public with more specific historical research,\u00a0and emphasising the relevance of the past for a\u00a0modern audience, presents\u00a0additional\u00a0challenges. I recently attended this session with\u00a0Dr Chris\u00a0Kempshall, who offered\u00a0advice\u00a0for those looking to\u00a0share their research with new and diverse audiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Kempshall completed a PhD from the University of Sussex, before working across a range of academic institutions, including the University of Exeter. Since leaving traditional academia, he has since authored numerous public history books, as well as providing video game consultancy. His broad-ranging career has focussed on generating and highlighting the impact of communicating histories, finding new methods for co-production and partnership. In this workshop, Dr Kempshall provided insights into his experience of bringing research expertise beyond the academic setting, and making this information accessible and entertaining for different audiences. He highlighted the research skills that historians naturally bring to their role, and how these can be utilised in a wider context when researchers can effectively market their expertise for different settings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, he emphasised the importance of understanding not just your own value as a researcher, but the aims of your non-academic partner, and the interests of your audience. For example, he discussed his experiences working with video game developers such as Blackmill games<\/a>, and the need for him to understand what both game users and developers want, in order to identify what he could do as a researcher to provide the most fitting support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Kempshall\u2019s experience is a great case study for how academic expertise can be transferred to better communicate with non-academic audiences. Blending historical research with mainstream media puts it front and centre in the present day, and invites new audiences to engage with complex research. If you would like to learn more about Dr Kempshall\u2019s work, you can find further information on his website<\/a>. For University staff with an interest in developing their public engagement experience, you can find this on our PER SharePoint Site<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a recent workshop from\u00a0Heritage@Exeter,\u00a0Dr Chris\u00a0Kempshall, author and public historian, shared his insights into bringing history out of academia and into the public eye \u2013 whether that includes engagement with the media, or working directly with the\u00a0general public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2305,"featured_media":1441,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,7],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nProducing Historical Impact and Engagement: Case Study - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Producing Historical Impact and Engagement: Case Study - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a recent workshop from\u00a0Heritage@Exeter,\u00a0Dr Chris\u00a0Kempshall, author and public historian, shared his insights into bringing history out of academia and into the public eye \u2013 whether that includes engagement with the media, or working directly with the\u00a0general public.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-20T12:48:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/03\/1772039123710.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Catherine H\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Catherine H\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/\",\"name\":\"Producing Historical Impact and Engagement: Case Study - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/03\/1772039123710.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-20T12:48:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-20T12:48:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/ea977a7e4e9049adf0cb92b1f039e570\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/03\/1772039123710.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/03\/1772039123710.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Producing Historical Impact and Engagement: Case Study\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/\",\"name\":\"Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/ea977a7e4e9049adf0cb92b1f039e570\",\"name\":\"Catherine H\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a475a21fdb3e80f287334528e4f5164f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a475a21fdb3e80f287334528e4f5164f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Catherine H\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/author\/ch1187\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Producing Historical Impact and Engagement: Case Study - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Producing Historical Impact and Engagement: Case Study - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter","og_description":"In a recent workshop from\u00a0Heritage@Exeter,\u00a0Dr Chris\u00a0Kempshall, author and public historian, shared his insights into bringing history out of academia and into the public eye \u2013 whether that includes engagement with the media, or working directly with the\u00a0general public.","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/","og_site_name":"Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter","article_published_time":"2026-04-20T12:48:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/03\/1772039123710.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Catherine H","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Catherine H","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/","name":"Producing Historical Impact and Engagement: Case Study - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/03\/1772039123710.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-20T12:48:36+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-20T12:48:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/ea977a7e4e9049adf0cb92b1f039e570"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/03\/1772039123710.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/03\/1772039123710.jpg","width":800,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/20\/producing-historical-impact-and-engagement-case-study\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Producing Historical Impact and Engagement: Case Study"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/","name":"Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/ea977a7e4e9049adf0cb92b1f039e570","name":"Catherine H","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a475a21fdb3e80f287334528e4f5164f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a475a21fdb3e80f287334528e4f5164f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Catherine H"},"url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/author\/ch1187\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/03\/1772039123710.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1401"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1449,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401\/revisions\/1449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}